1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to design, development and manufacturing of internal combustion engines. More particularly, the present invention relates to design, development and manufacturing of internal combustion engines having enhanced performance.
2. Description of the Related Art
Transportation vehicle manufacturers typically design, develop and manufacture transportation vehicle engines employed for powering transportation vehicles with the intent to provide transportation vehicle engines with enhanced levels of performance and enhanced levels of economy. While enhanced levels of performance and enhanced levels of economy may typically be simultaneously realized with respect to a spark ignition internal combustion transportation vehicle engine by increasing a compression ratio of the spark ignition internal combustion internal combustion transportation engine, increasing a compression ratio of the spark ignition internal combustion transportation vehicle engine is not entirely without problems in the art of transportation vehicle engine design, development and manufacturing.
In that regard, it is also known in the art of spark ignition internal combustion transportation vehicle engine design, development and manufacturing that an increased compression ratio of a spark ignition internal combustion transportation vehicle engine eventually leads to knock in the spark ignition internal combustion transportation vehicle engine when the spark ignition internal combustion transportation vehicle engine is operated at high load. In turn, knock in a spark ignition internal combustion transportation vehicle engine is typically understood as occurring due to excessive heating and premature detonation of an air/fuel mixture charge within a combustion chamber within the spark ignition internal combustion transportation vehicle engine.
It is thus towards the goal of providing internal combustion engines in general, and spark ignition internal combustion engines more particularly, with enhanced performance, enhanced economy and less susceptibility to detrimental effects, such as but not limited to knock, that the present invention is directed.
Various internal combustion engines having desirable properties, and methods of operation thereof, have been disclosed in the art of internal combustion engine design, development and manufacturing.
For example, Lowther, in U.S. Pat. No. 4,240,381, discloses an internal combustion engine system, and a method for operation thereof, which employs selective consumption of an auxiliary air source compressed within a compressed air tank that comprises the internal combustion engine system, to enhance fuel economy of the internal combustion engine system. In addition, Kanesaka, in U.S. Pat. No. 4,426,985, discloses a supercharged internal combustion engine that employs a knock sensor to optimize with respect to knock within the supercharged internal combustion engine a quantity of an air/fuel mixture injected into a combustion cylinder that comprises the supercharged internal combustion engine. Further, Brinkman, in U.S. Pat. No. 4,809,649, discloses a four stroke internal combustion engine that employs a combustion chamber scavenging air flow to attenuate nitrogen oxides emission from the four stroke internal combustion engine. Still further, Binion, in U.S. Pat. No. 5,718,194, discloses a spark ignition internal combustion engine that employs a combustion chamber water injection flow to analogously attenuate nitrogen oxides emission from the spark ignition internal combustion engine. Finally, Dai et al., in U.S. Pat. No. 5,826,790, discloses a method for operating a spark ignition internal combustion engine while employing variable valve timing and enhanced air/fuel mixture turbulence to provide the spark ignition internal combustion engine with enhanced efficiency.
The teachings of each of the foregoing related prior art references are incorporated herein fully by reference.
Desirable in the art of internal combustion engine design, development and manufacturing are additional apparatus and methods that may be employed to provide internal combustion engines with enhanced performance and enhanced economy.
It is towards the foregoing object that the present invention is directed.
In accord with the object towards which the present invention is directed, there is provided by the present invention: (1) an internal combustion engine system; (2) a transportation vehicle having assembled therein the internal combustion engine system; and (3) a method for operating the internal combustion engine system. In accord with each of the foregoing internal combustion engine system, transportation vehicle and method, there is employed: (1) an internal combustion engine having a minimum of one combustion chamber; (2) a gas compressor absent a compressed gas tank associated therewith, where the gas compressor is driven by a power output of the internal combustion engine; and (3) a control means programmed for providing a compressed gas charge from the gas compressor to the minimum of one combustion chamber during a portion of a compression cycle within the minimum of one combustion chamber, but not including a beginning portion of the compression cycle within the minimum of one combustion chamber.